
20
THESSALONIANS AND EPHESIANS.
men believe that it is something which it is not. To the child
of God it is a dreamless sleep, which were it not for Christ's
power, would know no waking. To those who know not Jesus,
whom the apostle here calls ''the rest,"—those outside the fold
of Christ,—there is no hope of seeing again those who have
died. But over the cloud of His people's sorrow God hangs
the covenant-bow of hope in Him.
2.
As surely as Jesus died and rose from the dead, just so
surely
-
will those who sleep in Him arise. As God brought again
from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great "Shepherd of the
sheep," so will He bring the sheep with the Shepherd. Heb.
13:20; 2 Cor. 4:54. Christ, the Head, is not complete without
His body, the church. But when He was raised from the dead,
His people were in promise raised with Him, and when they
are brought from the grave in fact, they are still brought "with
Him" in the fulfilment of the promise.
3.
Among the erroneous theories everywhere prevalent con-
cerning our Lord's second coming is that one of the Greek
words rendered coming
(parousia)
is said to mean a secret
coming, the "secret rapture of the saints," when Christ will
manifest Himself to the elect among His people, and not to
the world. But verse 16 of this lesson forever settles as to
what shall be the manner of Christ's coming
(parousia,
verse
is). "The
Lord Himself
shall descend from heaven,
with a
shout,"
with mighty voice, with trumpet. The whole thought
of the text is that of grandeur, glory, noise, commotion. It is
an event that all the earth shall witness. He shall come "with
all the holy angels" (Matt. 25:31), illuminating the whole
heavens from the east to the west (Matt. 24:27). And "every
eye shall see Him." Rev. 1:7. It will be "the Lord Himself,"
and not another, "this same Jesus," and not a representative.
It will be His own personal, bodily presence; for so the original
word means. See 2 Cor. 7:6, 7, where the word is applied to
the bodily coming of Titus; and to Stephanas
Cor. 16:17),
and to Paul (Phil. 5:26). In all cases it refers to a inanifestecl,
bodily, personal presence.
The Son of God beggared Himself to enrich us.